Law360 Pulse (subscription) has published a profile of the attorneys involved in the recent class action lawsuit filed on behalf of local residents against the City of Jackson, Mississippi over its role in the current water crisis that left city residents without access to clean and safe drinking water. The piece includes an in-depth profile on Lieff Cabraser partner Mark Chalos, one of the lead attorneys on the case.
The proposed class action accuses the city government and other private engineering firms of systematically neglecting the water supply for decades in the majority Black community, culminating in a complete shutdown of the water treatment plant in August of 2022 which left over 153,000 residents without running water. During this period, residents of Jackson could not even flush their toilets for days at a time.
Though the shutdown of the City’s water treatment plant was high-profile and made national news, Lieff Cabraser partner Mark Chalos notes that it’s a symptom of a much broader issue:
“It goes to the bigger problem of the poorly maintained, outdated, dilapidated water system throughout Jackson, which has been delivering contaminated water since long before the August shutdown.”
Chalos told Law360 Pulse that “the antiquated equipment and tainted water that Jackson residents have been dealing with for years” is something he’s seen before.
As the managing partner of Lieff Cabraser’s Nashville, Tennessee, office, Chalos represents local residents in a similar case against the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Area communities are suffering from the poisoning of the Benton Harbor, Michigan, water supply caused by lead, bacteria, and other contaminants
Chalos noted that Lieff Cabraser also played a role in earlier litigation over the infamous contamination of Flint, Michigan’s water system. “Access to clean, safe drinking water is a fundamental human right,” he said. “The international community recognizes that, and our country recognizes that as well. That major American cities in 2022 are not providing safe drinking water consistently to their populations is absolutely shameful.”
The lawsuit is ongoing.
Read the full profile on Mark Chalos on Law360 Pulse’s (subscription) website.
About Mark P. Chalos
The Managing Partner of Lieff Cabraser’s Nashville office, Mark Chalos (twitter: @mpchalos) represents individuals who have suffered catastrophic personal injuries and families whose loved ones died due to the negligence or misconduct of others. In the national opioids litigation, Mark represents counties and cities across the U.S., as well as Native American Tribes and health benefit plans. Most recently, Mark served as trial counsel in the national bellwether trial on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco which resulted in a successful verdict for plaintiffs.
Mark has tried cases to juries and judges around the country. He serves in the leadership of numerous class actions and multidistrict litigations. He is president of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, a frequent speaker at legal seminars nationwide on a variety of civil litigation topics, and is regularly cited by top-tier media outlets.
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